To Need Is To Let Go
by Morgan Rhea
Summary: It has been 13 years since the events of the Labyrinth; a time that Sarah cannot remember ever having taken place. Having lost her dreams and ambitions, Sarah leads a quite normal life until strange forces bring her together with a mysterious man who she can almost remember. In a place where time is irrelevant, Sarah must rediscover what she thought she knew about life and love.
1. Chapter 1 - Something Wicked

**Chapter 1 – Something Wicked**

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**Disclaimer - **I do not own the rights to the Labyrinth characters.

Welcome to a world that I plan to manipulate as much as the Goblin King likes to manipulate his Labyrinth! I hope readers enjoy this story and the paths it takes as much as I enjoy writing it!

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"To need is to let go."

This phrase had been said to her once long ago and had always been a piece of advice that Sarah could look back on when things became difficult for her. Granted, Sarah could not remember when or where she had heard this, but she figured it must be important for it to have stuck with her all of these years. It had probably come from Irene, her step-mother, since it was around the time when Sarah had opened up to her parents and finally began to accept the responsibilities that came with adulthood with more grace than she could have mustered.

Something in her life had just clicked into the right place where she could put off her silly childhood fascinations and move on to more real things. These real things being studying for school, friends, and even dating. Her father pegged it by saying that Sarah had finally been doused with a good helping of reality.

This would be deemed true as Sarah put aside all of her childish antics; both physically and mentally to become a mature young woman. It had been 13 years since Sarah dabbled in theatre or even had any aspiration to follow in her mother's footsteps as an actress. Instead, she had opted for a more realistic lifestyle and career; that of a businesswoman. This approach was more in her father's style as they had become closer once Sarah finally opened herself up to allow others in.

Sarah had completed college; receiving her degree in Business Administration and went on to get a job as a systems analyst for a large corporation. She had everything that society believed a person should have. She had friends, family, a good job, a great car, and a well furnished apartment. What more could a single woman want?

That is exactly what Sarah thought to herself as she relaxed in her comfy recliner with a bowl of ice cream as she browsed the channels on the T.V. Just where exactly was this feeling of remorse coming from? What was missing here? Sarah pondered this as she got up and put away her dirty dishes and began her nightly routine before bed. After brushing her teeth and washing her face Sarah stopped and glanced into the mirror, really looking at her reflection. "_I'm just lonely is all_," she thought to herself. Perhaps it was time to skim the dating pool again. Sarah was sure that her good friend Nicole would have someone to set her up with if she asked.

Sarah felt something brush the bottom of her leg and looked down from her reflection to see Romeo, her young orange and white tabby chasing a stray bobby pin around the bathroom floor. Sarah shook her head in mock disapproval and smiled at her furry fellow, "Oh Romeo, how can I ever be lonely with you around?" Romeo looked up from his recently acquired toy in silence before he began to bat at the bobby pin. She sighed and walked around the cat to her room and laid in bed. Sarah had been having a hard time sleeping lately. For the past few years she had had peaceful, dreamless nights but now she began to have active dreams that would wake her up in a cold sweat. However, try as she might, she could never remember any of her dreams. The only thing left to her after each waking was an intense feeling that she could not quite determine. It was not fear, or happiness. The only emotion she could attach it to was that of longing. But a longing for what she did not know; because what could she possibly long for that she did not already have or easily attain.

Another morning, another day.

Her alarm clock blared at her and she knew she should get up to start her workout routine. Instead she hit the snooze button sleepily muttering, "I can start exercising later…maybe tomorrow, or next month…"

Rather than falling back to sleep like she wanted to, Sarah could feel pressure on her body as Romeo walked on top of her chest and peered at her face, basically telling her that it was time to get up and get him some breakfast. Her cat sure had a way of bossing her around. Sarah still had her eyes closed and scratched under Romeo's chin. She opened one eye at the cat wondering if she pretended to fall back asleep, would he go away. "Meoooooww," came the protest from Romeo. Sarah sat up and moved the spoiled feline from her chest to the floor. "Of course you will not let me sleep. You never do," Sarah berated.

Sarah completed the rest of her morning routine as normal. It did not vary too much. She would get up, stumble to the kitchen to put on a cup of coffee, drink said coffee, and then head for the shower. Afterwards, she would get dressed and head to work. Today, being a brisk autumn day, Sarah opted for a long sleeved blouse with slacks. Before grabbing her coat and keys to leave, she made sure Romeo was fed and gave him one last chin rub before heading out the door.

Her commute to work was brief since she was fortunate to live only a few miles from her office, Crystal Springs. Once she got into the office, she settled herself into her desk and began to work away on her latest project. It was almost lunch when she heard the *ping* from her email.

_Lunch? I brought leftovers! – Nicole_

Before Sarah had a chance to respond to the email there was a knock on her door and in emerged Nicole. Her friend since she had started here, Nicole had always let herself in; both into Sarah's office and into Sarah's life. Sarah was grateful to have her as a friend.

"Hurry, I only have 45 minutes and I want to go over our plans. I have to finish up my presentation for our meeting," Nicole urged.

"Our plans?" Sarah asked as she got up from her desk and followed Nicole out to the lunchroom of their office. It was more of a break room, but it offered all of the amenities anyone eating in needed.

"Ok, so what do you mean plans? And why am I always the last to know of said plans?" Sarah inquired after they had sat down.

Nicole eyed her. She was always one to have plans and always kept Sarah busy with her outings and the occasional blind date. "I know you don't get out much Sarah, so I really thought that you should definitely attend the company Halloween party." She smiled tentatively at Sarah, "I'm bringing Zach, so you will need a date. Also, what are you planning on wearing?"

Sarah groaned inwardly. A Halloween party? She hated attending any of her company's charitable events. The Halloween party was just an excuse for all of the corporate higher-ups to come together for a night of drunken revelry under the premise of charity. "Halloween party? Nic, you know how I feel about these things…"

"Oh come on, it'll be fun. You just don't want to admit it."

"Admit it, huh?" Sarah asked sheepishly.

"You always complain about how bored and lonely you are," Nicole protested.

"I do not!"

"I can tell you are, though. Please just go with me. I will be fun. I promise," she pleaded with Sarah.

Nicole ran a hand through her wavy red hair and pouted a little, just for effect. Sarah smiled and gave in.

"Ok, ok. I'll go. I'm becoming too much of a shut in anyway."

"Damn right you are," Nicole confirmed and set both of the girls to giggling.

"Well, think about what costume you will wear. I want to go shopping Friday after work. And don't think you've escaped the whole dating question, missy!"

"Right, I'm sure you will hold me to it," Sarah conceded. With that they both finished lunch and parted ways, Nicole to her desk and Sarah to her office.

Sarah spent the rest of the day trying to think about Nicole's request. She knew that if she tried to find an excuse that Nicole would call her out. Besides, the whole evening might be fun.

Sarah really disliked her company's charity events. She had convinced herself that the only reason she didn't like going to them was that they turned most of the holiday get-togethers into some form of socialite soiree aimed at flashing wealth, network connections, all in the name of helping to feed the hungry.

The days passed without event and finally Friday in all of its glory had come.

Sarah was shutting down her computer for the weekend when Nicole sauntered into the room. She grinned at Sarah and asked if she was ready.

"Yupp," Sarah answered. "I'll drive," she volunteered.

"Ok, fine. There's a costume shop that I've seen in town and I haven't had the excuse to buy anything until now," Nicole said excitedly.

The pair arrived at the little store and Sarah lingered outside. She peered up at the costume shop. _Something Wicked This Way Comes _looked pretty normal on the outside, yet the name of the store gave Sarah an ominous feeling. Sarah looked at Nicole who seemed oblivious to Sarah's misgivings. "And you've been in here before?" Sarah asked.

"Well, yeah," Nicole replied. "It's got this rustic, old-timey feel to it, but it's nice. Better than the commercial costume stores where the women's outfits are barely longer than your…you know…" She shrugged. "Plus, they have rentals and actual costumes from the movies!"

"Oh, OK. That makes everything better," Sarah teased. "I guess let's get this over with."

They both entered the store and were hit with a haunting melody. A little bell jingled as the door closed behind them and, who Sarah assumed was the shop owner, came over and greeted them. She was an older woman who must have been sporting some of her own ware since her outfit looked like it belonged in a movie. Her long gray hair had a disheveled look to it; despite the woman's attempts to tie it back. She had what looked to be glitter in her hair and costume jewelry adorned her wrists, fingers, neck, and ears.

"Welcome to _Something Wicked,_ my dears," the woman drawled. "Can I help you to find anything?"

Nicole chimed in, "No thanks, I love the thrill of the hunt!"

"And how 'bout you dearie?" the saleswoman asked Sarah. "Anything special you need to find?"

Sarah glanced around to Nicole but she had already meandered off to look at the racks of costumes, leaving her on her own. "I suppose I could use a little help. We have a Halloween party coming up and I'm not really sure what I would wear. I'm not that big on dressing up."

"Nonsense!" the woman exclaimed. She grabbed Sarah by the arm and began leading her through the store. "Ole' Bess will get you situated just right. I have just the thing for one as pretty as you!"

Ole' Bess, as she called herself, led Sarah towards a large display of costumes on mannequins. The middle costume on display was magnificent. Sarah walked towards it and touched the fabric of the dress. It sparkled in the light from the display lights above. The gown looked like it was from a dream. Bess moved in front of it and smiled in approval. "You like it?" she inquired. "Of course you do, it's a lovely dress for a lovely girl."

Nicole walked up behind Sarah. "Dibs," she announced.

Sarah laughed, "You can have it. It's a little too extravagant for my tastes. We're not going to a ball, right?"

"To be honest, I really don't care what people think as long as I look like a princess," Nicole stated. "And for the record, you shouldn't care either. We are doing this for fun, remember? Plus, it's this or slut-wear."

Rolling her eyes, Sarah begrudgingly agreed. "Fine. Miss Bess, do you have anything a little…um…less flashy?" The dress really was gorgeous with its puffy sleeves that fell off of the shoulders, fitted bodice, and full skirt.

The shopkeeper's face fell, which wasn't a great look for the woman whose face already bore enough wrinkles. Her smile was replaced with a scowl. "Look around, miss, there is plenty to choose from." The woman then turned and walked away, past the checkout counter and into a back room.

"Jeez. Rude much," Nicole pointed out. "She's always so nice when I come into look. I think you insulted her, Sarah."

"Uh! As if I meant to…I just think that the dress is a little much is all."

"Oh come on. It's a Halloween party. Everyone will be dressed over the top. Especially at this particular party. I bet Christy from Accounting will try to show everyone up! It's your job to show her that she's not the only knock out that Crystal Springs has."

Conceding, Sarah fished for a price tag on the dress. "$200!" Sarah gasped. "Well, if I was going to get the dress, I've definitely changed my mind now!"

At that, the strange little woman reappeared, her frown quickly becoming a smile again. "$100 for the pretty lady! 50% discount; today only," she said.

Nicole and Sarah gaped at each other. Sarah replied slowly, "Ohhhk. I guess I'll take it."

"Excellent!" Her smile grew even deeper, accentuating the wrinkles on her face.

Nicole withdrew a little. "I'll go grab the little number over here I found and be right back."

Bess instructed Sarah over to the checkout counter while she prepared the dress. Sarah did as she was told and went to the counter and waited. She finally got the chance to take in her surroundings. Nicole was right. Things were rustic, if that was a good word for it. There were many knickknack items for sale around the store. Items, Sarah assumed, that were normally part of a costume shop's inventory. There was a display for shoes, crowns and tiaras, wands, scepters, and the like. Now that Sarah thought about it, there was not anything in the store that really looked like it was from this century. Even down to the stuffed white barn owl that was eerily perched on a stand placed behind the counter and was staring at her. Funny, she hadn't noticed the stuffed bird there before. And it looked so real, too.

The haunting music still played softly in the background and, oddly enough, tickled the edge of Sarah's memory. She mentally waved it off as déjà vu when the saleswoman, Bess, emerged with the dress in a large garment bag. Sarah paid for the dress and patiently waited for Nicole to come up with her choice costume. Nicole had brought up a pink lace and tulle gown. She winked at Sarah, "I'm going to make wings and go as a faerie. You know, but a little contemporary spin on this medieval garb!"

Nicole had just finished her transaction with Bess when she noticed the stuffed owl. "Ooo," she said. "That's new, right? It looks so real." As if on command, the owl spread its wings and fanned them a few times in a swift, fluid motion; bemusing Sarah and startling Nicole. Bess looked at the very real bird, "Oh, he's quite real. Quite a pain as well. You dears have a nice evening. Please enjoy the dress." The woman pointedly stared at Sarah.

"Oh we will, thank you," Nicole said as she and Sarah quickly exited the shop.

Outside, Sarah let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "I'm sorry, Nic, but that place was pretty creepy."

"I guess!" Nicole agreed. "I don't remember it being so strange when I visited before. It always seemed so normal. Well, as normal as you can get with a costume store called _Something Wicked This Way Comes._"

Both women hurried to Sarah's car, got in, and drove off.

Bess watched as Sarah and Nicole left from the door of the shop. She quickly changed the open sign to closed and walked back towards the rear of the store. She stopped and looked at the owl, who stared back at her. She frowned at it and spoke, "Well, you've got what you wanted, you wicked little thing. Now go on and leave me and my shop be." The owl only continued to stare at her. Bess made a disgusted noise and quickly walked into the back room of her shop. Her grumblings could be heard as she left but the owl had already vanished; leaving not even a feather behind to mark that it had been there.

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If you've made it this far, you've completed the chapter. Congratulations! There are many more twists and turns to come...next week.

Stay tuned and feel free to review!


	2. Chapter 2 - The Prep

**Chapter 2 – The Prep**

**Disclaimer - **I still do not own the rights to Labyrinth or any of the characters associated with it.

Yay, Chapter 2...the best of chapters...Well, maybe not only the best.

Plus, I know it hasn't been a week yet but I'm feeling generous .

Happy reading

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It was a couple of weeks away until the Halloween party. Sarah new this because her friend, Nicole, would not let her forget it. At their lunch break each day Nicole would carry on about details over this event. Occasionally, a couple or more of Sarah's more friendly coworkers would join them and partake on the revelry that was planning out a party. Sarah tried to take it all in stride. Nicole still had not let her forget about bringing a date to the party, but Sarah had done a good job of evading the subject for the time being.

Sarah had kept herself occupied in the interim by burying herself in her work. Being a systems analyst was tedious and never-ending but provided the escape that she needed from overthinking things. There was always another project or report that management needed done. So, Sarah kept herself immersed until Nicole brought her out for lunch or until it was the time of the day to close up shop and head home.

Today, Sarah had worked over for a couple of hours and it was nearly dark outside. She was desperately trying to finish a project that she had promised would be done before the start of the quarter, but things had not gone according to plan and now she had to put in extra hours just in order to have it done before the end of the month. Sarah figured that she had done enough for the day and shut down her computer and cleaned up her desk before leaving the empty office.

The sun had set as Sarah made her way to her car in the parking lot. She never had a problem walking to her car alone in the dark before, but tonight just carried an ominous feeling as the leaves blew gently across the empty parking lot. The feeling that someone, or something, was watching her gave Sarah the chills. She stopped at her car door and looked around before opening the car door to get in. Mentally chiding herself, she opened the door, but something suddenly startled her. She looked over her shoulder to where the noise was emanating from: the tended tree line just beyond the lot. From the tree an owl emerged and took flight off into the night. "_Jeesh_," Sarah though. "_I'm getting all worked up over some stupid bird_". Without a second thought, she got into her car and drove off.

The next day, Sarah made it a prerogative to leave work early. Nicole had been going on about her costume like some little school girl, eliciting much more conversation from her other coworkers who had joined them over breaks and lunch. Apparently no one had anything better to talk about at these times, Sarah noticed. However, the talking allowed her the opportunity to make a decision regarding her own costume. It was great and all but she thought it could use a little modernizing. Not much, but some. She at least had to have it fitted and seeing as how she had not yet removed the gown from its garment bag, or even her car for that matter, she figured she could stop by a tailor and have the alterations done today.

With the tailor out of the way, Sarah could head home and make time for Romeo and possibly a phone call to her family. She noted that she hadn't spoken to them in at least a month. Normally she would talk to them more frequently but with all of her overtime, she didn't have much time for anything else.

"Romeo, Oh Romeo, where for art thou Romeo?" Sarah called.

As if on cue, Romeo came jingling into the room; ready for his afternoon treat. Sarah only indulged so much fairy-nonsense in her life and she figured what better way to have a fictional lover who could never hurt or leave her than a cat. She thought it was a whimsical idea. Plus she enjoyed quoting the one line from Shakespeare that she could remember. Little Romeo probably enjoyed it more because he knew that his favorite food followed the words.

Sarah gave Romeo an extra helping of treats; she was feeling generous tonight. She then made her way into the living room and settled herself into her chair, prepping to give an update to her family on the progress of her life.

Her first call was to her father, who answered the phone as he always did, _"What's up?"_ To which Sarah would reply, _"Nothing new, how are you?"_

"_Things at work still going well? It's been awhile since I've heard from you,"_ her father chided.

"_As well as they can be. Sorry it's been so long; I've been swamped at work and there really is nothing new going on here."_

"_Yeah well, you can always check in every once in a while. Irene worries, you know?"_

"_Yes, I know. I'm sorry. So, how is Toby?"_

"_Good, he's out with friends now; otherwise I imagine he would be here trying to talk your ear off and tell you about his latest theater performance. Which you missed by the way…"_

"_Are you serious? When was that?"_

"_It was last Friday…"_

Sarah knew she'd really messed up. Toby reminded her so much of herself at that age and could only imagine how slighted he must feel right now. _"Will you tell him that I will make it up to him somehow? I promise."_

"_Of course, I'll let him know. Oh, and Irene says Hi. We are getting ready to leave ourselves, so I'm going to have to let you go."_

"_Alright, that's fine. Tell Irene I said hi. I will try and come visit soon. Maybe after Halloween? I have to go to the Halloween Charity for work and I'll just drive over after or in the morning and spend time with Toby and you guys. Is that OK?"_

"_Yeah! That'd be great! Can't wait to see you kiddo. I'll have the cobwebs dusted from your room."_

"_Funny, dad. I'll talk to you later. Love you."_

One phone call down and a promise to visit to boot. Oh well, she hadn't been down to visit in a while and she figured it was time to make her appearance so her family didn't forget what she looked like. Now she just stared at her cell phone. To call her mother or not to call her mother?

She shouldn't feel obligated to attempt to communicate with her mother, but it was always such a struggle. Her mother came off as so superficial; always so full of herself and her accomplishments. She dialed the number anyway.

Ring. Ring. Ring….

"_Hey, this is Linda, if you have something you'd like to say please hang up, get with the times, and send me a text message. Toodles." _

Sarah scoffed at the voicemail greeting. Who said "toodles" anymore anyway? _"Hi mom, it's your daughter…Sarah…not to be confused with your other daughter Samira. Just thought it's been awhile since we've talked…then I thought maybe we could try talking doing that again…Call me…Oh and if you changed your number…AGAIN…my number is 555-836-90…." _Sarah was interrupted by a harsh tone.

"_The voice mailbox is now full. Please try your call again later."_

'_Figures,'_ Sarah thought. _'Guess I'll talk to her in a year or so when she remembers she has a 27 year old daughter.'_

It pained Sarah more than she wanted to admit that her mother had moved on so easily with her life in pursuit of her new dreams and left Sarah in her fairy-tale life dust.

She decided not to dwell on the matter and began her nightly routine.

Two Weeks Later…

Sarah had left work early today. It was Friday and she had to meet up with Nicole soon to get ready for the Halloween Charity event. She had forgotten to pick up the dress from the tailor's shop and had several missed calls telling her that it was ready. She swung by and picked it up before she headed over to Nicole's. When she got to Nic's she hefted the bag out of the car and walked to the door and it swung open before Sarah could even knock. Nicole gave her an insightful look and ushered her in. "Come on, two hours is not nearly enough time to get ready!"

Sarah sat her dress down over the back of the couch and followed Nicole into the bathroom. Loud music was playing and makeup and hair utensils littered the bathroom counter. Nicole had her hair up in rollers and was dressed in only a short slip. She approached Sarah with a hairbrush in hand.

"We've got to get your hair under control. The ponytail just won't look right with your dress. Sorry."

Laughing, Sarah let Nicole tame her long, dark tresses. After about half an hour of teasing, Nicole judged her work on Sarah's hair complete and let Sarah look in the mirror. She stood up and turned around to see her reflection. Nicole, as with anything she did, had worked magic on Sarah's hair completing a loose up do. The side swept hair that escaped the bun that had been elegantly pinned to the back of her head was caught with pins to give it an airy essence.

"Nicole, you've outdone yourself. I love it. I could never even come close to this on my own. I would just end up in a ponytail or something," Sarah explained.

Nicole nodded in approval. "Yes, I know. It is a talent that I cannot replicate on my own locks." She began to fret over her own rollers and pull them out one by one. "Which is why all I do is go for the loose waves."

Sarah applied a bit of makeup. Just a little mascara and lip gloss. She wasn't much for wearing heavy make-up but she did love her mascara…and a little bit of eye liner for effect from time to time.

Nicole had just finished pulling her hair out of the rollers and spritzed it with hair spray for hold. Her make up already flawless and in place. She clapped her hands together and held her clasped hands to her face and excitedly said, "And it is time for the final touch. Yay!" She ran off to pull on her own costume which left Sarah to go retrieve her dress and get it on.

She went back into the living room and pulled the dress from the back of the couch and went back into the bathroom and hooked the garment bag onto the back of the door. Slowly, she unzipped the bag to reveal the dress inside. It was still magnificent to behold and Sarah still felt a little silly getting dressed up in it. She gently lifted it out and pulled it on. As she was trying to lace up the back on her own, Nicole walked back into the bathroom from her bedroom.

"Oh. My. G.O.S.H." she gasped.

Sarah looked at her friend, "What? Does it look bad? I didn't think my ideas were too horrid.."

"No," Nicole placated, "Not at all. It just looks so beautiful. I want it!"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Just lace me up."

Nicole helped to lace the dress and led Sarah out into the hallway where there was a full length mirror. She finally had a chance to see the finished product. The dress, of course, was still magnificent. Had she used that word to describe the dress already? She couldn't remember. Her reflection showed a beautiful young woman in a shimmering white gown. The fitted bodice and the full skirt still remained the same. Sarah had only taken liberty with the sleeves, which had been reduced yet still fell off of the shoulder. The sleeves she had altered to be gloves, though fingerless, which only came just below her elbows.

"Just gorgeous. Oh, you forgot a piece. Did you buy this at the costume shop, too? It was in the bottom of the bag," Nicole produced a small Venetian masquerade mask. It was black, despite the color of her dress, but had crystals inset in the middle. It looked to be filigree metal with a petal design.

"No," Sarah answered slowly. "I didn't buy a mask."

Nicole shrugged. "Must have come with your %50 discount. Here, let me help you get it on so you don't mess up your hair." She tied the silken ribbons behind Sarah's head and stood back to take in the full effect. "Jealous…." She sighed.

She smirked at her friend. "Oh please," Sarah teased. "You look gorgeous, yourself. At least you get a tiara and wings"

"I guess."

Nicole really did look good in her short pink gown. Topped off with her tiara and fairy wings, which Sarah assumed she picked up at the store instead of made like she said she was going to; Nicole looked fantastic. Nicole touched at her neck and looked in the mirror behind Sarah.

"You know, Sarah, I don't think your look is complete without a little something."

Sarah looked at Nicole questioningly, "A little something? Like?"

"Here," she said. "My necklace is a little much with my outfit and yours is bare." She unclasped the tiered necklace and placed it on Sarah. "There!" She smiled, "NOW you are finished!"

"OK, if you say so. Let's hurry up and get this over with before I change my mind," Sarah said.

Both women walked out to Sarah's car. Sarah noticed a small problem right away, "Um, Nic, do you think you could drive? I may have to ride in the back with my dress and all."

"Haha, sure. I still have to pick up Zach anyway. I really wish you would have let me set you up so you didn't have to go alone," Nicole said.

"I'm a big girl, I'm sure I'll manage without someone to hold my hand the entire time," Sarah assured her. She pulled out her keys, unlocked the car, handed them to Nicole, and slid into the back seat with as much grace as she could muster. The dress took up most of the back seat. "I think I made a wise decision, given the circumstances. Pretty sure the dress would have obstructed everyone's vision!"

Nicole rolled her eyes and got into the driver's seat. She readjusted the seat and mirror, looking back at her friend. "Pretty sure I still can't see out the rear…but I think we will make it." She started the car, pointed forward with whimsical flair and yelled, "To the ball!" Sarah laughed at her friend from the back seat of her car.

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End of chapter 2. You've done it again. Hopefully things are not too excruciatingly boring. I promise they will pick up next week.

Until next time!


	3. Chapter 3 - Once Upon a Dream

**Chapter 3 – Once Upon a Dream**

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***Disclaimer* **I, unfortunately, do not own the rights to our fabulous Labyrinth duo or any of the other characters associated with the film.

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They had just stopped to pick up Zachary, Nicole's beau, and were now headed to the party. Zach turned to face the backseat and took in Sarah's costume. "Well Sarah, you are looking awfully…fluffy…tonight." He smiled his candid smile and Nicole playfully smacked him on the arm.

"Be nice Zachary!" She chided.

Zach turned back to look at Nicole. "I had to tone down my costume. I was not allowed to outdo Nic over here." He gestured to himself, "I really wanted to go as Peter Pan and her as Tinker Bell, but that didn't 'Pan' out. Ha!"

"Ok, so what are you going as then?" asked Sarah.

"Well, I actually am supposed to be Peter Pan," he said. "But I said no to the tights. They chafe."

Sarah laughed again. She really liked Zach and enjoyed that he was such an easy person to get along with. He meshed with Nicole so well. They did not hang around each other too often but whenever Sarah tagged along with Nicole and Zach she was always made to feel comfortable. It helped to ease the loneliness she denied that she ever felt. It almost made her a little envious. '_Oh well,_' she thought and set her mind to getting through the upcoming party.

Her company, as always, hadn't spared any expenses in order to procure a venue. Having these charitable events were seen as a corporate social responsibility so it helped to make Crystal Springs into a more profitable company in a roundabout way. This year, they had procured the services of an event center that offered off-site venues; which is where they had just arrived. Nicole pulled up to the valet and eyed the venue. "Good choice this year," she said. "I wonder where they will have Christmas?" she then pondered aloud.

The question, which Sarah assumed was rhetorical, was left unanswered and the trio got out of the car. Zach actually had to help Sarah out due to the ungainliness of her dress and once she was out, Nicole helped to fluff the dress back into its proper position. They then walked inside to where the Halloween party was just starting.

Sarah looked at what normally was a conference center in awe. The event planners had clearly outdone themselves, but then Sarah reminded herself that she did not have a basis for comparison and just figured that whoever was in charge of planning was very good at their role. The venue was expansive with clean, open architecture that allowed for the room to feel bigger than it actually was. Not to mention that the walls had alternating mirror paneling which only added to the spaciousness of the room. Little twinkling light lit the ceiling and provided a dreamy atmosphere for the party-goers. A band was positioned towards the rear of the room and played, mostly, relevant music to the times. Oddly enough, there was a DJ there as well sharing part of the space. Apparently the party coordinators wanted the music to have both styles; live and stereo.

The agenda for the evening was pretty Laissez-faire but was set up to be an eating, meet and greet followed by a silent auction and intermittent raffles. There was space set up for dancing in the middle of the room, however, no one had yet deigned to dance yet as they were wrapped up in greeting fellow co-workers and other notables that had arrived for the event.

Sarah felt as though she just may enjoy herself. At least everything had been set up for her to do so. She followed Nicole and Zach as they picked out a table near the middle of the room and set up their 'home base', as Zach called it.

Nicole looked from Zach to Sarah, "Well, we had better make the rounds. Zach, I am leaving it to you to defend the fort."

"I think I'll defend the table…I mean fort. I'm technically in hiding from some of the higher ups since I haven't finished their project yet," Sarah said.

"Ok," Nicole answered. "I guess I'll just make Zach suffer through meeting my boss and hopefully show up Christy. I wonder what attire she chose for this evening. I'll fill you in once we get back."

"You do that," Sarah said, forcing a small smile. She was beginning to feel a little self-conscious. People's garb was a little over the top but Sarah couldn't help but feel that she had crossed, no, sprinted over that line.

People eyed her and a few of her coworkers approached her as she stood awkwardly by the table to say their hellos and comment on her beautiful costume and mask. Even Christy, her coworker that Nicole had a rivalry with approached her.

"My, my, Sarah, don't you look lovely this evening?" Christy said smiling as she approached. She was dressed as a Greek Goddess, Sarah assumed, and she certainly fit the bill. Her long flowing dress was accentuated by the gold arm bands and the gold laurel that she wore on her head. Her golden hair had been piled onto her head and her makeup was flawless.

Sarah smiled back at Christy. Even though Nicole did not always care for the woman, she had no problem with Christy. "Thank you," Sarah answered.

Christy carried on the conversation, "I was hoping to find Nicole with you. I've heard that she wanted to "outdo" me this year."

Sarah laughed in spite of herself, "Well, I think she just went to find you to say hi with Zach."

"That's nice. So, are you here with anyone?"

"Well, no…"

"It's ok. I have a couple of single guy friends here that I could introduce you to if you'd like?" Christy offered. "I promise they are not chauvinistic pigs."

"You really don't have to," Sarah answered. "I'll do fine by myself."

"Just an offer. In any case, there is a gentleman here who cannot seem to take his eyes off of you since you walked in."

"I'm sorry, what?"

Christy subtly pointed over towards the edge of the room, among the crowd of party attendants. "Over there. He's pretty smoldering with that get-up."

Sarah tried to look over discreetly, but she couldn't help but to stare. The man who Christy was referring to was wearing a billowy white poet's shirt with an open dark blue coat that had a metallic sheen to it, along with a tall collar and long, twin tails; black full length leggings, grey gloves, and black knee-high boots. His hair was quite peculiar, Sarah thought, as it had a teased appearance. She realized that she was staring and quickly looked away, blushing. When she chanced to look again she saw the man smirk and then walk away.

Before Sarah knew it, Nicole and Zach had come back. Nicole successfully hid the disdain in her smile as she came closer and registered Christy with Sarah.

Christy, preemptively, made the first move, "There you are Nicole. Sarah said you were here and might I add that your dress is very sweet. Oh, and I love the wings. Quite a nice little twist on a faerie and her boy lover."

Nicole was successful in keeping her face placid. "Thank you. And your Greek attire is very becoming of you as well. But don't you just love Sarah's dress?" she asked turning the subject away from herself.

Christy smiled and the two women began to carry on about Sarah's dress; excluding Sarah from the conversation and leaving Zach to nod in agreement with his girlfriend. Sarah really didn't understand why the two didn't like each other so much but was too distracted to actually pay attention to their words. Her eyes searched the growing crowd of people for the man who was so intriguing. She kept thinking she had caught a glimpse of him only to register that she had missed him. Maybe he had left and for a moment, Sarah's heart fell. She didn't know why nor could she understand why she was feeling this way.

The dress combined with the party and then seeing him just gave her the strangest feeling of déjà vu and she just could not register why. The music from the band suddenly eased off and the evening's host appeared on the stage, announcing that the silent auction would start in just under an hour. The host left the stage and the DJ began to play music of a slower pace. Couples began to take to the dance floor in the time before the auction began.

The music dropped off to a haunting beginning to a very familiar song. It was one that Sarah was familiar with but was being sung in a very low timbre and slower pace. She looked over to see that Nicole and Christy were still attempting to talk but they both quickly stopped midsentence and stared at Sarah.

"What?" Sarah asked. Instead of a spoken response came a responsive presence in front of her. She turned slowly and saw the man who she had been straining to find. Her heart fluttered a bit, to which she quickly reminded herself to calm down. He had the same half smile that he had worn earlier as if he were amused that he knew something that she did not.

"May I?" were the words he spoke to her, extending his hand out for hers in a formal approach.

Almost as if in a daze, Sarah placed her hand in his gloved one and he led her to the dance floor; Sarah's entourage left gaping.

Curiosity filled her as they found the center of the floor and he placed his other hand on her hip and she his shoulder. He moved so gracefully and Sarah could not grasp the intrigue of this man. She gazed into his, somehow, familiar face and noted his peculiar mismatched eyes. They held a sort of knowing, agelessness if that made any sense at all.

Sarah finally pulled at least some of her wits about her and decided to at least ask him his name but instead blurted out something else entirely, "Do I…know you?"

"I cannot say, it feels as though we have just met; Doesn't it?" he responded with that smile.

She smiled a little herself, "Ok, I am Sarah. And you are?"

"Thoroughly enjoying myself," he artfully answered. "Though most address me as Jareth."

Jareth led them gracefully in tight circles; he was a good dancer, Sarah noted. She took no note to anyone around her save for her dancing partner.

"And what type of costume are you wearing tonight? I cannot specifically place it," Sarah inquired. With all of the Roman generals, pirates, vampires, and such roaming around, she wasn't really sure what he was supposed to be.

"A costume is it? Well, I suppose if it must be called so it would be one worn by the King of Goblins."

"King of Goblins? Is that from a book or a movie?"

He only chuckled in response and turned her in a neat pirouette.

Sarah could feel her world spinning. She looked up into his eyes and found him staring intently at her. '_My god are his eyes unnerving_,' she thought. As he looked down upon her, she felt the urge to kiss him. He seemed to lean in a bit, obviously feeling the same. '_My god, I don't even know this man_!' she thought. She quickly turned her head to the side, hopefully avoiding giving him any ideas.

The amusement seemed to fall from his face as the corners of his mouth turned slightly down in the semblance of a frown. However, Sarah did not seem to notice as he replaced his mask with another as quickly as the last faded. To say that this man was mercurial was an understatement.

"So you are the King of Goblins?" Sarah asked, trying to change the subject. She wasn't sure if he was actually trying to kiss her or if she had misread a signal, or if there even was one. "I guess that would make me the Queen of Misfits," she added with a laugh.

He only smiled down upon her, "Sarah, I would hardly say that you misfit anything. Especially tonight."

"Thanks, I think," she said turning her face down so he could not see her blush. He sure knew how to turn on the charm; or flattery at least.

The music was briefly interrupted by the announcement of the upcoming Silent Auction by the host, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the silent auction will begin shortly. Please find your seats by the end of the next musical number and we will begin."

Several couples began to leave the dance floor, leaving Sarah and her Goblin King to finish their dance. He seemed intent on completing the dance and she did not want to seem overly rude by breaking early.

"Thank you for inviting me to dance. I honestly thought I would have a boring night with everyone staring at me in this dress. You've helped to make it…fun," she offered.

He chuckled, "The pleasure is all mine, of course. Though, the fun doesn't have to end after the dance…"

Sarah gave him a quizzical look, "Oh? And how is that?"

He smiled. "Sometimes it is as easy as making it known what you want. I will have to admit that I can always be counted on to deliver," he proffered.

The song was slowly fading away and the remaining dancing couples began to file to their seats. Sarah broke away from her dance partner and looked back up at him. Instead of responding to his last statement she stepped back.

"Thanks again," she said. "Maybe I'll see you around."

The Goblin King gave a small bow, "I plan on it."

Sarah turned to leave and after going a few steps looked back to see him staring after her as she made her way over to her table. As she got closer she could see Nicole sitting with Zachary. She caught Sarah in her gaze and mouthed 'Oh My God!' gesturing for Sarah to hurry over and dish out details.

Sarah motioned to Nicole that she was going to head to the restroom and bee-lined for the door before her friend could catch up to her and make her talk. Instead of making towards the restroom she headed for the nearest exit to gather some fresh air and hopefully clear her head. There was a set of side doors which Sarah assumed were being used by smokers but thankfully no one was out here as she stepped out and she was able to be alone without a party guest out for a smoke eying her.

Taking a deep breath, Sarah chided herself. _'I'm not some silly little girl with a crush. I don't understand why I feel this way,'_ she thought to herself. She hadn't allowed herself any of these foolish fantasies since she was a child and she wouldn't let it start now. But, she figured she had better get it all out before moving on with her real, adult life.

She toyed with what the King of Goblins had told her, _'Sometimes it's as easy as making it known what you want.'_ She wondered if that meant she had to say it aloud. Saying things aloud was kind of an open or public admission right? '_What do I want?_' she continued to think. Exhaling she began to talk out loud, to no one in particular.

"I wish…" she began and then started to laugh at herself. "This is crazy!" She began to imagine what it would be like with the King of Goblins…what it would be like for him to whisk her away from the trivialities of life.

"Ok. I wish…that the King of Goblins would take me away," she said. Nothing happened. No magical fairy dust came sprinkling down on her. The mystical man did not appear to take her away. Not even a breeze stirred to answer her spoken words. '_Guess it's not that easy,'_ she declared to herself.

Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling she steeled herself to walk back to Nicole's onslaught of questions. She really wished that Nicole would just let her fantasize about it for a while before dissecting everything said and done. One last time, she said the words, "I wish the Goblin King would take me away…" she grinned in spite of herself, "right now."

She grabbed the handle to the door, pulled it open, and stepped inside.

As the door closed behind her it became apparent that no one was in the room. It was barren of people. Everyone had left! Sarah's mind raced. She looked to her left and then to her right and still, nothing. She hurried to the middle of the room, still in disbelief that everyone had just left.

She turned around again to survey the side of the room she had just walked from and, still, nothing. She began to feel heated; incredulous that people – her friends, coworkers, and even strangers – would play such a cruel joke on her.

She turned once more and before her stood none other than Jareth. He was no longer wearing the costume of the King of Goblins. His garb had become more menacing, much more uniform than his fanciful ballroom attire from before. He stood imposing before her and Sarah felt compelled…to do what, she did not know…

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Thanks for reading this week's chapter!

Reviews are welcome!


	4. Chapter 4 - Undisclosed Desires

**Chapter 4 – Undisclosed Desires**

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***Disclaimer* ** I still have not gained the rights to these interesting characters from the Labyrinth.

On to the story!

* * *

"What's going on? Is this some sort of trick?!" she asked. He no longer bore the amused look that he had worn before when they had danced. Now, his gaze was more dark and intense.

"I did tell you that I would deliver."

"I don't understand…" She looked around again just to be sure that the people had all disappeared. When she looked back at Jareth the scenery had changed. No longer were they in the venue of her company's Halloween party. Now, they both stood on a stone balcony that overlooked a very large and complex stone maze.

"I have liberated you from those bonds that distressed you and frightened you. You're free now, Sarah," he said.

"Why does this sound so familiar? This place? Your words?" she asked…desperation setting in.

"I would imagine that it should," he said nodding, "seeing as to how you have been here before."

He gestured to the maze, "The Labyrinth, my labyrinth, is falling into a state of disrepair. It has been doing so since you defeated it and left. More so since you have forgotten the events that transpired here."

"I am pretty sure I would remember coming to a place like this," she retorted. Becoming abrasive was her apparent defensive mechanism for her utter confusion to her newfound situation.

Jareth put back on his amused mask and pulled out a small glass orb from thin air. He flourished it around a few times to demonstrate his juggling capability? Sarah wasn't sure but it seemed unnecessary. He finally brought it before her and she could see images flashing inside of it.

"Once I offered you your dreams, now I offer you your past. In a sense it is a glimpse at the dreams you've lost."

Sarah narrowed her eyes at this manipulative man, she wasn't quite sure if she should trust him…or his glass balls…but she was not in familiar territory so she lowered her gaze into the small orb.

She could see herself; much younger, in her teens, and running through the labyrinth. She continued to watch as the events of her "apparent" past unfolded before her.

The memories, or what she thought were memories, came flooding back to her. It really did feel as though she were watching a dream, she assumed this was what it felt like to watch her life (or at least part of it) flash before her eyes. Visions of running through the labyrinth and solving puzzles, meeting new friends...in a rush, she immediately remembered Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Diddymus…but the images kept going and she watched as the ballroom scenario unfolded. Her cheeks flushed and she could feel her anger rising as she noted the obvious similarities between the ballroom and the Halloween party she had just left. Again, the images kept her mind racing and she watched as she and her friends battled the goblin army and then as she continued on alone to face the King of Goblins to win back her brother.

With a flourish, Jareth made the glass orb disappear. Sarah had a plethora of emotions running through her but instead of putting a voice to it, she just reacted; slapping the horrid man square on the face. The slap reverberated off of the balcony and the King of Goblins, plainly not expecting such an assault, brought his gloved hand to his struck cheek.

"Whatever your feelings, I do not condone violence. Especially upon my own person," he said, rubbing his cheek.

"That's your reaction to this?" Sarah asked. "You think you can just bring me here…after…after everything you've done. Trick me here is more like it! And expect me not to resort to violence!"

Jareth's look of amusement had, of course, been replaced with one of cold, calculated fury. Still, he did not make a move to strike Sarah back. She was a little grateful that he didn't do anything to rash; such as send she to the Bog of Eternal Stench…which he had done before, Sarah remembered! Instead of acting, he just studied her with his eyes, which unnerved her a little but she held her ground.

"Sarah, you should know this by now. What's said is said and cannot be undone." With that he turned on his heel and began to walk away.

The scene shifted again and they were inside of a room, which Sarah assumed was inside the castle beyond the Goblin City. It was a stone room, which glittered (go figure) and there were old furnishings placed throughout the room. The Goblin King turned to face her again and raised an already upturned eyebrow at her. He even had the audacity to smile again! "For the time being, you shall remain here as my guest until things can be sorted out." He then whipped his cloak around and made for the door.

"Don't you walk away from me!" she yelled. "I want answers and I want to go home! What right do you have to keep me here?!" She picked up the nearest thing she could find – a small candelabra from a nearby table– and threw it as hard as she could at his head. Before it could make impact, he dissipated and the object merely hit the door with a very ungratifying _'thunk'_ before it clattered to the floor.

She shrieked in frustration and ran over to the solid wood door, but there was no handle. "Seriously?!" she yelled, but she wasn't certain if anyone heard her, least of all the horrible man who she wanted to hit again. Instead she took our her frustration on the poor, defenseless door with the candelabra that was still lying on the floor, picking it up, and hitting the door several times until it sported several viscous looking dents.

With her frustration dying down, she began to feel dejected and forlorn. To keep her emotions from taking over, she took note of her surroundings. At least better note of heavy objects she could throw with somewhat accuracy. With her more thorough survey she found that the room was of average size with a bed, a lounging couch, and a couple of other small end tables; each with a centerpiece vase, candelabra, or décor of some form. The walls had old, dusty tapestries hanging up, but they were so tattered and decrepit that Sarah could not even attempt to identify what they may have once depicted. On the fourth wall a huge bookshelf appeared, inlaid into the wall.

"Ok," she called out loud, "the room can quit changing now. I get it, you can rearrange things. Your point has been made."

She felt a little satisfied calling Jareth out. But only a little. The satisfaction was short lived, however. Still trying to keep her emotions in check, she walked over to examine the books upon the bookshelf. She didn't recognize any of the titles of the books…probably because all of them were in a different language. She was definitely no linguist, her Spanish and French only going so far as to say Hello, goodbye, how are you, and my name is Sarah, but these words did not look like anything she had seen before. For good measure, she reached up and pulled a particularly old, leather-bound book off of the shelf. When she opened it to look at the words they made her feel dizzy and sick. She quickly closed the book and put it back in its place. 'Note so self, ignore the books with gibberish titles.' She thought.

"What's the point of giving me books I can't read?" she yelled out loud. When she received no answer she tried to think of something else to occupy her time. Unfortunately, the fact that she had been brought back to this strange place against her will for unknown reasons grated against her nerves. Finally, she gave up.

With nothing else to do, Sarah walked over to the bed and sat down. She vaguely thought about checking the windows on the other wall but then figured that Jareth probably had those enchanted as well. She laid back and let her emotions wash over her.

* * *

The warmth from the sunlight on Sarah's cheek woke her from her fitful sleep. That, on top of the aroma drifting towards her. Her stomach betrayed her as it grumbled in response. She sat up and looked around, spotting a tray of food steaming on the table close to the door. '_Funny'_ she thought, _'I didn't hear anyone come in_.'

She walked over to the table and eyed the tray of food suspiciously. As suspicious as it seemed, it smelled deliciously. There was a full breakfast on the tray; bacon, fried eggs, fried tomatoes, fried mushrooms, toast with butter, sausages and baked beans, and a steaming mug of tea.

A voice of reason sounded in Sarah's head, 'it could be poisoned', then Sarah pushed that notion down and the real voice of reason sounded, 'why would he go through all of this trouble to kill me when he could have done so already?'

There was a lot of fried food in her selection so Sarah just chose the simplest option; the buttered toast and the tea. Goodness knew she wanted to devour the entire tray but she didn't want her jailor to think she was getting comfortable enough to eat a meal in the confines of her room.

When she was done, she began to wonder if he would keep her in this room forever. But before she could give it anymore thought she realized that she was still wearing her dress from the night before. She chuckled in spite of her situation.

As if on cue, a second door appeared on the wall adjacent to the book shelf and the door leading out of the room. She walked over to examine and found that this door did have a heavy handle. She pushed through and found herself in a boudoir which was lined with clothing and an adjoining washing area. Upon closer inspection the clothes were either exact copies of her wardrobe from home or they had been transported here. Sarah settled on the former, seeing as how her captor was a master of deception. She pulled out a pair of jeans and a loose fitting blouse and changed; choice attire for escaping a crazy man's castle, avoiding goblins, and getting home. She grabbed a pair of flats to complete the outfit since she had left out her running shoes, for what reason she could not suspect. Probably so she couldn't "run away".

There was a dressing table with triple mirrors over in the corner, similar to the one that Sarah had at her old room at her father's but this one was much larger and obviously an antique. Walking over to it she glanced in the mirror. Everything looked normal. She hadn't turned grey or green or any other color a goblin may be for any reason. Just for measure she picked up a brush that was laying on top of the table and ran it through her hair a few times; putting bed head to rest.

Belly satisfied and no longer ridiculously dressed, Sarah felt as though she could face the day; whatever it may hold. When she walked back out to the bedchamber she found that the breakfast tray had been removed and that the door was left ajar. '_Ha, here's my chance!_' she thought.

Making for the door, she grabbed the silver candelabra – '_Just in case'_ she thought - and didn't look back. The hallway was not much different from her room. The stone walls glittered and it had an unaired feel to it, like it hadn't been dusted in a few centuries. Sarah chose a direction and walked that way. Absently, she wondered if there were any goblins lurking within the halls but knew she would deal with anyone who tried to impose on her mission to get home.

Doors lined the hallway but Sarah walked past them, intent on finding her way out…_'There has to be a way out_' she consoled herself.

* * *

On the other side of the castle, Jareth watched in his crystal orb as Sarah attempted to navigate the halls. He was in control of his castle and, therefore, controlled the direction she went and the rooms that she entered. As a precaution to his plans he had exiled almost all of the goblins from the castle to their city. He knew that most of them were to dimwitted to understand the complexity or depth of what was transpiring and he certainly did not want to overwhelm the girl…yet. However, without their atrocious antics to amuse him, he was left to his own devices which included watching his guest through his crystal orb.

A larger goblin - compared to most of the others - appeared from an entry way and shuffled over to its King, head held low. It was dressed in dark livery that looked as though it had been removed from a corpse and was now being repurposed as the goblin's attire. The King looked over to the approaching goblin and gestured for the creature to make its report.

"Sire, the girl…." It stopped and wrung its hands, uncertain of how to proceed.

Jareth impatiently dismissed the crystal orb and gave his attention to the goblin. "Yes, out with it!"

"It just don't seem to be working s'all, sire" the goblin said.

The Goblin King began to rub at his temples, his annoyance becoming more apparent. "I am deeply aware of this Snot".

"Tis Snebz, lord," the goblin corrected. Jareth answered this by directing a glare at the creature. The goblin cowered in response.

Jareth sneered, "If you happen to have any other suggestions, I will entertain them."

The goblin was unsure of how entertained his king would be, but feared displeasing him in this mood. "Sire, 'haps if you s'plain to the girl she may help."

He grabbed his chin in a movement of contemplation, "I suppose; what more would it hurt? Besides, I doubt it would accelerate the decay that has us in its grip." He lounged back in his throne and propped his feet back on the other side of the large, curving bone that served as the back.

* * *

Sarah continued down the never-ending hall. She knew what was going on here. She was being manipulated. She had tried opening various doors throughout the hall but none of them gave way. Adamant to get out, she walked up to the next door she saw and tried the handle. It turned (without resistance…Finally!) and she pushed the door open.

Inside she could see dark shapes darting across the floor. The room was poorly lit, with heavy drapes blocking out any natural light, and the floor was strewn with broken 'things' of which Sarah couldn't even begin to imagine what they once were. A door inside the room creaked open and shut quickly. With a deep breath Sarah stepped into the room brandishing her silver weapon.

"Come on out, I know there's someone in here," she commanded.

Slowly, twenty-something goblins shuffled out of the closet, from under various pieces of furniture, and one even dropped from the ceiling. They were all dressed in ragtag pieces of armor and disheveled clothing of sorts and ranged in size from about half her height to about a foot tall.

She put her hands on her hips and hoped it would make her more imposing to these ungainly creatures. She eyed them as they attempted to line up for her convenience, she thought. Scanning them for the most capable goblins she picked the one that had dropped from the ceiling. It had to be at least a little clever to try and hide where she wouldn't normally look. _Had_ she tried to look that is.

"You there!" She gestured with her candelabra/weapon. "What are you doing hiding in here?"

It shirked under her question for a moment but answered nonetheless, "We's not s'posed to be here. Lord sents us away but we's no want to leave the castle."

"Why would you be sent away?" she asked aloud. "Never mind," she said quickly changing her mind. She didn't expect the goblins to know any better than she why things were the way they were. She changed her tactic instead. "What's your name then?"

"Biddle I am," he answered.

"Ok, Biddle. I am charging you with escorting me out of the castle and then the Labyrinth. Do you think you can do that?"

The little goblin cowered before her, "No!" it wailed. "We's cannot do that! Please, ask another query."

Sarah groaned in frustration. Of course it would not be that easy. She pointed her weapon back at the goblin for good measure, "Fine, then take me to your king. Can you do that?"

Biddle nodded fervidly, "Come, come!" He grabbed at her pant leg and urged her out of the room. She looked back to see what had become of the other goblins but they had all returned to their hiding places.

Biddle led her straight down the hall and through a door or two that led to another hall. This castle was set up just like the Labyrinth, go figure! It must be an extension of the Labyrinth, Sarah mused. They finally approached a large entry way that led to the throne room. Sarah would say it was exactly how she remembered it but given the fact that she did not really remember…rather had been shown her memories…made the notion seem contrary. Things were still slowly coming back to her.

In the throne, draped with dull colored banners, lounged Jareth. He was rolling one of his crystal balls on his hands practically ignoring Sarah and her goblin escort. Actually, Sarah glanced down and found that Biddle had disappeared. Seems as though the goblins were not too keen on displeasing their King.

"I see you've found your way here. Not without some help, I would imagine," Jareth said without looking up.

Cutting straight to the point Sarah asked, "Why am I here?"

Still juggling his crystal ball, "Because you asked that I bring you here Sarah, I really do grow tired of explaining this."

"You could at least look at me when you talk to me," Sarah demanded.

Jareth tossed the orb up into the air and it vanished as he sat up in his throne to indulge her. "And how may I be of service to you?" He propped his head on his hands, giving off an air of indifference.

She scowled at his impertinence. "I want to go home. Let's set aside your need to talk circles around me and just tell me what you want so I can be on my way. You don't seem so thrilled by me being here but you went out of your way to ensure that I get here, nonetheless, so why?"

"It's quite simple really."

"Oh? Enlighten me."

"You will remain a guest here until you believe and the Labyrinth is healed."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Say what Jareth? Oh...sorry...guess I will have to leave you hanging until next week.

I'm sorry.

I'm not sorry. XD

P.S. Reviews are my writing fuel (hopefully nice ones).


	5. Chapter 5 - A Dying World

**Chapter 5 – A Dying World**

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***Disclaimer***

_Just in case it was missed, I do not own the characters to the Labyrinth. Too bad for me. I might be a little richer if I did._

_Anywho, on to the story!_

* * *

"Healed? What do you mean until I believe? Do I really seem that skeptical to you? I've pinched myself several times since waking up and it hurt each time so I'm pretty unskeptical to the reality of all of this."

Jareth studied her with his intense, mismatched eyes. They glittered with whimsical knowledge that Sarah could not fathom. Again, she could feel the compulsion but she resisted against it.

"The Labyrinth is dying, Sarah." He gestured and they stood again on a balcony that showcased a side view of the Labyrinth. "Look to the outer walls and see the blacking."

Sarah put her hand over her eyes to block out the glare of the sun and looked to where Jareth had pointed. She could make out several dark patches at the edge of the Labyrinth. They almost appeared to be shadows, but apparently they were not.

"And this is somehow my fault?" she asked.

"Technically, no. But you are the last runner of the Labyrinth. When you defeated it..."

"And you," Sarah added.

Jareth narrowed his eyes at her and continued, ignoring her interjection, "You left and lost sight of your dreams, your aspirations. It is those things that keep the Labyrinth alive. Though they may seem futile to you, your dreams, they give hope; and fantasy and magic is what hope is derived off of. Without your dreams, you did not have the compulsion to share them and, therefore, there have been no new runners. There is no one left to believe in the magic of this place. No one left to wish their unwanted siblings away and add to the goblin numbers."

"And I can help, how?" she asked not really certain how any of this applied to her. Sure she had given up her silly childish dreams, but people did it all of the time.

"Until you have found what you lost," he said.

"Well, thanks, that's helpful," she rolled her eyes. "Be a little more cryptic why don't you?" "And for that matter, why me? Why can't you go get another runner, someone before me?"

Jareth stood up from his throne, walking past Sarah, and stood by the pit in the middle of the room. It stood barren. "Because there are only two runners left alive and the other I cannot bring back," he answered.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because that person accepted my gift and their dreams became their reality and my magic – even what little is left - forbids her return."

Sarah folded her arms, still keeping a grip on her weapon though she felt her need to use it slipping. "Sounds like that's not what you wanted," she pried. Something in the way he said it made her seem like there was more to it than just what he divulged.

Instead of a reply, Sarah noted an uncharacteristic moment of silence from the Goblin King. However, the moment passed and he turned to face her with that dreaded half-smile and look of amusement in his eyes. Tentatively, she changed the subject, "So what now?"

"As I said before, you will remain my guest here."

"Are you going to forbid me from the West Wing, too?" she asked. When he raised a questioning eyebrow at her she shrugged and ran a hand through her hair. She wasn't sure if he got the reference and if he did he made no mention of it.

"Sarah, I have no need to 'forbid' you from going anywhere. If there is something I would want to remain hidden, it will remain so and any amount of searching you did would do no good. I am the master of my domain."

"Jareth…I can't just leave my life above ground. People will look for me. I'd be a missing person. They would slap my picture to the side of a milk carton. My parents would worry, Toby will be devastated and my cat…my cat!" she exclaimed, just now remembering poor little Romeo.

"You needn't worry yourself too greatly about your life above ground. Time is irrelevant here and on top of that, the magic surrounding your departure has fogged the minds of all who knew you. To be precise, you are just a fond memory of what could have been."

"That's reassuring," Sarah responded, not feeling so reassured. "And my cat will just die because no one knows that I existed so he will just waste away in my old apartment?"

"Everything has been arranged and taken care of, Sarah. Including your pet."

"That's comforting." She knew she was getting nowhere with this conversation. Of course he had taken care of everything. "I guess you will just leave me to my own devices then?" she asked, unsure of the answer she would receive.

Jareth regarded her, "If that is what you wish...as long as they do not include taking your frustrations out on defenseless doors. For now, I have matters that need attending to. I'm sure that you can keep yourself entertained for the time being." He said this rather than asked and dissipated with a swirl of his cloak.

She was left standing in the throne room, alone. Jareth hadn't exactly given her the grand tour of the palace so she didn't know where to go. She didn't even have an itinerary of her stay here. She assumed that she was free to come and go as she pleased.

The day was young, so she decided to leave the castle and perhaps find her way to the Labyrinth. She remembered she had friends there. The whole running of the Labyrinth was still a little fuzzy and seeing it replayed in the crystal orb like some crazy reality TV show was so impersonal. Sarah hoped that a reconnection would jog her memory.

Walking out of the throne room and into…another hallway?! Sarah groaned in frustration, "What is with the hallways?!"

Sarah definitely did not want to call for Jareth's help. It would only boost his ego, so Sarah thought of something different. "Bibbity?" she called out. "No, that's not it…Bobbity?" "Damn…" she muttered. She was just as bad as the goblin's frumpy leader at remembering names.

"Biddle!" she remembered. _'Finally.'_

The little goblin poked its head from around the corner. Where he had been hiding she was not sure, but at least he had stuck around. He was most likely eavesdropping but Sarah, at this point, did not mind.

"Take me to the Labyrinth…please," she asked him.

Biddle beamed a smile that split his small face in two and came over and grabbed at her pant legs to usher her in the right direction.

Their exit of the castle took no time at all and soon they had entered the Goblin City. The aptly named town – of course – was littered with goblins who were coming to and fro; each doing a chore, playing pranks on each other, kicking chickens around, and a whole myriad of other goblin related activity. It was all controlled chaos to say the least and none of the goblins missed a beat. Biddle lead Sarah through the city and no one paid her too much mind except to glance in her direction every once in a while. Sarah had a suspicion that the Goblin King had ordered his subjects to let her be since she stood out among them like a sore thumb.

At the edge of the city Biddle stopped and looked up at Sarah. "This is as far as you can take me isn't it?" she asked the creature. He nodded in response. "Ok, well I guess I'll take it from here. I just want to take a look around, maybe find an old friend or two…" she carried on but she glanced down and her goblin escort had taken his leave. Again.

"Great," she said under her breath. "I don't even get bread crumbs or a spool of string or anything?"

There was no spoken answer but somewhere out there her captor/host took pity upon her and sent her a little gift. A small crystal orb bounced her way, like a rubber ball except with a "tink, tink" sound whenever it hit the ground, and right into her open hand. She brought the orb closer for inspection but it was simply a crystal orb. It didn't seem special so she pocketed it, unsure of how to actually use it or even what it was for.

She set off into the Labyrinth in hopes of finding her lost friends.

* * *

Jareth paced his study. He was quite unsure of what to do with his new acquisition and that troubled him. He, the King of Goblins, always had an answer. Yet, this answer eluded him. How to make her believe?

Books littered tables and the floor of the room. Many were opened to a page and thrown carelessly aside when an answer could not be found or the information led to a different tome. Every so often Jareth would glance down at a random book and flip through pages before taking off on a different tangent, whether it was going to a different book or pacing the room. None of this studying helped to take his mind off of the trouble that loomed at the edge of his mind.

He was slowly losing his magic and his kingdom. The magic that held the Labyrinth together was beginning to fade which was causing the Labyrinth to blacken and rot and worse even; sicken. It takes a lot for a magical being to fall ill, even more so for a huge magical entity such as the Labyrinth. With the Labyrinth losing its defenses, malignant things were beginning to appear and threaten the denizens of the Labyrinth. These dark creatures lived in the shadow and fed on darkness and despair which is exactly the opposite of what the Labyrinth stood for; hope and dreams. The fact that these things were beginning to plague the place he had made for himself disgusted him. He was determined to cure the Labyrinth and that had meant going against his better judgment. Bringing Sarah back was not at the top of Jareth's remedy list but it seemed, through more and more reading, that her abandonment of dreams had ushered in this dark fate.

Of course, with Sarah being the last runner of the Labyrinth, and a victor to boot, it was her duty to spread the experience that she had to ensure that there would be future runners. Jareth could no longer return to the above ground to influence possible runners into speaking the words as he once had; though in the beginning there was no need to do even that.

It grated against his nerves that he had invested so much time into the girl who believed so deeply and dreamed so heavily that it had become her life and she just gave it all up. And for what? Her misinterpretation of those words! It perturbed him even more when he found that he had no choice but to bring her back in order to heal the Labyrinth, though it amused him to toy with her.

A crystal orb dropped from the air, unexpectedly, and Jareth caught it as if expecting it to come. Through the orb he could see Sarah standing at the edge of the Goblin City, lamenting on her situation. It seems that while she may have changed physically and mentally, there were still qualities to her that remained. Qualities that amused and intrigued the Goblin King even more.

He knew that she would not be able to get deep enough into the Labyrinth to get into any trouble with the rot setting in. However, he had failed to mention that many of the denizens of the Labyrinth had begun to vacate their homes due to the spreading darkness. Some of those denizens included her friends from her previous visit. It was probable that Sarah would come back angry at the omission of information but hopefully the jaunt into the Labyrinth would exhaust her enough to make her more amiable.

Without a second thought he took the crystal he held and threw it out of a nearby window, willing it to go to Sarah.

With that taken care of, Jareth set Sarah out of his mind and began to leaf through his books in order to find an alternative answer while his magic regenerated enough for him to make his next move.

* * *

Sarah wondered what was going on above ground and what her family and friends thought had happened to her. Jareth made it sound like they never even knew she existed and it made her a little sad that she could just be pulled from people's lives and memories with so little effort. She mentally noted to strengthen her friendships and her relationship with her family once she got back above ground.

Now, her main focus was to find her long lost friends. She strode through the Labyrinth with no particular direction in mind; randomly taking turns as they appeared. Initially, she assumed that they would already be aware of her arrival in the Underground and be ready for her entrance into the Labyrinth but apparently none of them had received the memo.

Sarah wandered around for what seemed like hours and encountered no one. The Labyrinth was completely devoid of life. It seemed unnatural for the place, given that the location was magical. She attributed the change to the "rot" that Jareth spoke of. _'Maybe it was worse than he thought?_' She wondered.

A side effect of her time wandering had allowed her to contemplate her situation and this gave her some clarity. It was definitely difficult to be ripped, unwillingly, from your world and into another but she could sense the importance of the action from the Goblin King. He gave her the impression that she was his last alternative. She almost felt sorry for slapping him…almost. However, he could have arranged something different rather than going through all of the theatrics just to get her to come. Though, she did not think that he could help himself from that last bit. Theatrics seemed to be his thing and who was she to take that away from him.

Hours passed and Sarah was not really sure exactly how long she had been walking but the light was beginning to fade. She had hoped to at least find something, anything but that notion was now beginning to seem futile.

The shadows created by the wall began to stretch as the light diminished. It would be night, or what passed for night in this place, soon. She leaned up against one of the glittery walls and slumped down to the ground. Crestfallen, she placed her head into her hands._ 'How am I supposed to do…whatever it is…that I am supposed to do?'_ she thought_. 'No one is here to help me…even Jareth doesn't think I can do this.'_

Before she could despair any further, she heard a scuffle of feet coming from the shadow of a far off wall. She became alert instantly. "Who's there?" she called.

Nothing in this place was fond of offering a verbal response. They all seemed to enjoy the theatrics of just revealing themselves and reveling in the reaction they received from her. In this particular instance the response that Sarah received was a creature stepping out of the shadows. It looked like something from out of a nightmare and Sarah immediately froze upon seeing it, her breath catching in her chest.

Rows of jagged, sharp teeth protruded from a round misshapen face that had, what resembled long greasy hair strands in scant patches upon its head. Its overly large eyes glowed dimly in the diminishing light and took Sarah in. Those yellow, pupil-less orbs seemed especially developed for seeing in the darkness. The creature did not move, but merely regarded Sarah. She wanted to run. She knew she should probably run, but she didn't know where to go. She could possibly run into a dead end before she found her way back to the safety of the castle. Much to her chagrin, she had to ask Jareth for help. But how? And then she remembered the crystal orb that sat in her pocket.

Ever so slowly, she began to reach into her pocket to retrieve the item. She had to extend her leg to release the tension in her jeans so she could actually put her hand in the pocket and the motion caused the creature to stir. Sarah had not taken her eyes of the thing as it began to scuttle along the border of the shadow with its ungainly body. She finally noted that the nightmare creature was contained to the confines of the shadow…which was slowly, but surely, expanding its reach towards her! She jumped up and pulled out the orb. Without looking into it she called aloud. "Goblin King, if there was ever a good time for you to make an appearance and steal me away to your castle, now's the time!"

Still no response,_ 'Damn him!' _she thought. She threw the orb at the creature but it missed and disappeared into the shadow. The creature did not even bat an eyelash…if it had any. She seriously doubted it was able to blink its eyes were so wide.

The shadow was creeping forward and with it the nightmare creature. Sarah looked around and began to contemplate her retreat, as futile as it may be. Turning, she ran. When she looked back, the creature did not follow as it was still restricted to the protection of darkness. She saw an upcoming turn but before she could enter the new passage she found that it was already covered in darkness and sported a nightmarish creature of its own. This one was large and imposing. It growled and reached for her as she skidded to a stop. She suddenly realized that her time was short, if not already up. It would be fully dark soon and the creatures would apparently have free roam and, therefore, the freedom to eat, maul, or kill Sarah at their leisure. Hopefully not in that order.

She continued to run; her instinct to survive operating at full throttle. She sure did not remember the Labyrinth being this dangerous during her previous visit. Granted, the Labyrinth hadn't been falling apart at that time either, but still! She knew she could not continue straight because that would get her nowhere so she had to find a creature-free passage and take it. There was an upcoming turn on her immediate right and she closed her eyes and ran into it, determined not to see the hellish face of a different creature. Instead she crashed into something, or rather, someone.

Sarah felt hands grab her arms and she shrieked out in terror. She tried to break the grip but it was too strong.

* * *

Author's Note:

_Please refrain from throwing things and/or walking away. I know it is ANOTHER cliffhanger. I like cliffhangers. They really have that uncanny ability to make you want to know what else happens. I mean, I'm writing this story and even **I** want to know what happens next!_

_In any case, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter :)_

_Until next week kiddies!_


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